Author(s):

Okwute SK and Ohiakwu CS

Abstract: Nauclea latifolia (Rubiaceae), found in Gauraka Tafa L.G.A., Niger State, Nigeria, is used in folkloric medicine to manage malaria, jaundice, diarrhea, hypertension, cancer and tuberculosis. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the chemical and biological characteristics of the leaf to confirm its traditional medicinal uses. The leaf was extracted with methanol to obtain the crude extract. Phytochemical screening of the crude extract revealed the presence of the following metabolites: saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, flavonoids and anthraquinones. The crude extract was also fractionated into petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol solubles. Antimicrobial studies of the crude and fractions showed inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger with ciprofloxacin serving as the control antibiotic. The zones of inhibition ranged from 11mm to 28mm. The moderately polar and antimicrobial ethyl acetate fraction was partially purified using column chromatography and the sub-fractions were then subjected to GC-MS analysis to identify some of its chemical constituents. The GC-MS analysis led to the identification of a number of fatty compounds including open and cyclic hydrocarbons, alkyl benzenes, fatty acid derivatives and other oxygenated compounds. Some of the compounds are known to possess a number of bioactivities including antimicrobial, anti-malaria and anti-inflammatory which may account for the ethno-medicinal uses of the plant.

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